Education Outreach Activities Beyond Campus

Hunter Outreach Project Objectives

To assist families who have children under the age of 18 who require some extra support.

To design, deliver and support strength-based programs in collaboration with families and community.

To encourage and support families to identify and achieve goals.

To promote a sense of family belonging in communities.

Our staff know that all families have assets and strengths, and we work with families to develop these assets and strengths in order to help build more resilient communities.

Our support period is for 12 weeks, however if extra support time is required this will be discussed with Team Leader.

Experienced empathic Family Workers visit families in their home (or at a place of their choosing) and provide information, case planning, support, encouragement and referral as needed to assist families to reach their goals. Family work is sometimes referred to as Case Work.

If you would like to be contacted by a Family Worker please contact Michele Knight on 49215601 or email: HunterOutreachProject@newcastle.edu.au

Parenting is often a challenging and rewarding time of life. For many people a few tips and ‘tricks of the trade’ are welcome at some stage during their parenting experience. Various parenting programs have been designed and developed to address some of the more challenging periods in family life and are regularly available. These programs not only provide parents and carers with new skills to make their parenting more enjoyable, they also offer an opportunity to meet other parents and socialise.

All of the parenting programs we facilitate aim to assist parents and carers to:

• Raise happy & confident kids,
• Support and encourage positive behaviour so that the whole family enjoys life more,
• Set routines and rules that are respected by the family,
• Take care of yourself and feel confident that you are doing the right thing.

The Hunter Outreach Project offers free parenting programs to parents, carers and families in the Lower Hunter Local Government areas of Newcastle, Maitland, Cessnock, Lake Macquarie and Port Stephens.

At various times throughout the year, the following programs are offered:

The Circle of Security® Parenting™ program

Helps parents to understand their child’s need for security as well as their child’s need to explore. When parents tune into their child’s emotional needs, their child’s behavior improves. Children will feel secure, have good self-esteem, good relationships and do well when starting school.
Delivered over 8 x 1.5 hour sessions (no specific age).

1-2-3 Magic ® & Emotion Coaching

Offers effective parenting solutions without arguing, fighting or smacking. Parents learn three strategies they can choose from if a child misbehaves. Parents learn how their own behavior can influence their child and how to encourage cooperation around the home.
Delivered over 3 x 2.5 hour sessions (2-12 years)
Delivered over 4 x 3 hour sessions (adults)
Delivered over 3 x 2 hour sessions (pre-teens 6-12 years)

Seasons for Growth® for Adults

Is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the impact of loss and grief on an individual’s wellbeing. It draws on  William Worden’s Tasks of Grieving and uses the metaphor of the seasons to help participants learn about what grief is, it’s potential triggers and impacts, as well as strategies to manage it and move forward.
Seasons for Growth aims to build resilience and bring peace and hope to adults who have experienced significant change or loss.
Delivered over 4 x 3 hour sessions.

The Parents Under Pressure (PuP) Program

The overarching aim of the PuP program is to help parents facing adversity develop positive and secure relationships with their children. Within this strength-based approach, the family environment becomes more nurturing and less conflictual and child behavior problems can be managed in a calm non punitive manner. The program is home- based and designed for families in which there are many difficult life circumstances that impact on family functioning (no specific age).

If you are interested in our Parenting Programs you can phone Michele Knight at the Family Action Centre on 49215601

Some responses from parents on their experiences in Parenting Program Groups:

“I really enjoyed this program. Loved how all of us who attended has to participate in activities and class discussions. Plus it’s a program for parents who are in care, so we all felt comfortable and could understand how others felt and knew we weren’t alone. The way the family workers ran the program was brilliant. Very professional and very helpful each and every week. If anyone didn’t understand anything, they would help us to understand it by explaining it another way.”

“I think it was the one thing that I’ve taken away from the group is establishing what you can let go, what need to change/start, behaviours you want to start let go & what you need to modify & it has worked. And boundaries, especially with 3 year olds, that was the most useful, also techniques for yourself, if you’ve had a stressful day, when you walk in the door you say I just need 5 minutes to breathe rather than telling them to get out of your face, you need to take time to care for yourself, tell the partner that you need the time to get back on track. It is how important communication is and looking after yourself, you can’t deal with little people when you have to take care of yourself. Acknowledging that it does happen, it does happen to everyone, you aren’t alone being stressed, parenting is hard & we all parent differently.”

“I’ve passed on the ideas at mums groups & to a lady in the park once, she was a stranger. She was struggling with her little toddler girl mucking up, & I wanted to try and offer her absolution, we all feel like that sometimes. I gave her the family worker’s number. I have found the things I learnt really useful.”

“I found the whole course very reassuring, it was a really good thing to do at the time, I was newly single & pregnant, useful because my daughter is extremely strong willed, it gave me some coping mechanisms, I recognised where she was on the circle & my patience was longer for her. We had a good close knit group & we still see each other & have a chat.”

“I personally have a hard time doing some parenting courses and those that look back at your own childhood. My own childhood was extremely abusive and I am very thankful for my Pop and the Aboriginal community I grew up in for teaching me important things in life. I really appreciated the way the family workers made sure everyone felt safe each week, so we could all get as much as we could out of the program, If any of us were having a lot going on, they would ask as us if we were okay, or if we wanted a chat. I personally had a few chats with them during the program. They were very helpful, supportive and understanding, while remaining very professional.”

“It was more recognising tantrums as them [children] needing something from me rather than just being naughty. Looking deeper into the reason why, which was that they just wanted mummy to sit for 5 minutes with them. I’ve just had a new baby & I’m recognising their cues as well, I don’t use it all the time, you can’t be perfect. You just have to remember when your child comes into you that they want you to fill their cup.”